North Korea’s Nuclear Test May Have Been Two Times More Powerful Than Initially Thought
- 7 years ago
A nuclear test launched by North Korea on September 3 may have been two times more powerful than U.S. intelligence experts had initially estimated.
A nuclear test launched by North Korea on September 3 may have been two times more powerful than U.S. intelligence experts had initially estimated, reports the Washington Post.
According to an analysis by 38 North, a think tank which specializes on the country, this conclusion is based on revised seismic estimates which determined that the resulting explosion had a magnitude of 6.1, not 5.8, as preliminary measurements had suggested.
As such, 38 North says, “This revision is significant because, rather than providing an equivalent yield of about 120 kilotons derived from the lower magnitude estimates....[formulas show] that the yield can now be estimated to have been roughly 250 kilotons.”
U.S. intelligence officials had reportedly placed the blast level at around 140 kilotons.
If the new figure holds, that would mean North Korea’s test was nearly 17 times more powerful than the 15-kiloton detonation that resulted from the Hiroshima bomb in 1945, reports Bloomberg.
The think tank also pointed out “this large explosive yield is also quite close to what 38 North had previously determined to be the maximum estimated containable yield for the Punggye-ri test site.”
The September 3 launch was North Korea’s sixth test in its reported effort to obtain the capability of firing a nuclear missile that can reach the U.S.
A nuclear test launched by North Korea on September 3 may have been two times more powerful than U.S. intelligence experts had initially estimated, reports the Washington Post.
According to an analysis by 38 North, a think tank which specializes on the country, this conclusion is based on revised seismic estimates which determined that the resulting explosion had a magnitude of 6.1, not 5.8, as preliminary measurements had suggested.
As such, 38 North says, “This revision is significant because, rather than providing an equivalent yield of about 120 kilotons derived from the lower magnitude estimates....[formulas show] that the yield can now be estimated to have been roughly 250 kilotons.”
U.S. intelligence officials had reportedly placed the blast level at around 140 kilotons.
If the new figure holds, that would mean North Korea’s test was nearly 17 times more powerful than the 15-kiloton detonation that resulted from the Hiroshima bomb in 1945, reports Bloomberg.
The think tank also pointed out “this large explosive yield is also quite close to what 38 North had previously determined to be the maximum estimated containable yield for the Punggye-ri test site.”
The September 3 launch was North Korea’s sixth test in its reported effort to obtain the capability of firing a nuclear missile that can reach the U.S.